Troublesome Love
by Fading wind
Summary: Love, Shikamaru decided, was a troublesome thing. [ShikaTem]


Title: Troublesome Love  
Genre: General/Romance  
Pairing: ShikaTem  
Summary: Love, Shikamaru decided, was a troublesome thing. ShikaTem fluff.  
Warnings: Nothing. It's been a while since I've written a het fic...  
Disclaimer: Naruto, I own not.

**Troublesome Love**

Love, Shikamaru decided, was a troublesome thing.

He had watched Sakura and Ino chase after Sasuke dozens of times, and always end up running in circles. He had seen Hinata's blatant blushing and heard her embarrassed stutters every time she talked to Naruto, and even witnessed her fainting a couple of times, but never getting much response from Naruto despite her desperate efforts. He had noticed Kiba's unease with Hinata's love for Naruto, and caught hurt looks on occasions. He had been told that Gaara loved no one but himself, and sometimes he couldn't help but think that Gaara was doing the right thing.

His father laughed whenever he said that love was troublesome. "You'll know, one day, Shikamaru. You'll know," he would say, slapping his son's shoulder. "Women, troublesome as they are, are hard to resist."

He didn't believe his father.

He surprised _himself_ by having a girlfriend who lived three days away.

"So, Shikamaru, it's troublesome, eh?" His father raised an eyebrow when he was told this piece of information. "Tell me, who is this girl? She must be one hell of a hot girl to change your mind."

Shikamaru looked at his dad with a crumpled expression. "Well, she's the sister of the new Kazekage."

The older man blinked. "Wow. A close relative of the Kazekage? She must be some girl. You sure have a good taste in women. So, what's her name and age?"

"She's called Temari, and she's 3 years older than me," Shikamaru replied.

"I see..." His father's voice trailed off, and suddenly his eyes widened. "What?" he gasped. "She's older than you?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?" the boy asked, yawning. He seen a couple of people as surprised as his dad was now whenever he told them that his girlfriend was older than him. Both girls and boys, in fact, seemed to be against this. Ino and Sakura were especially shocked. The idea of having a boyfriend younger than them was quite an appalling one to them, and they nearly killed Shikamaru in their rage and horror.

"No, nothing's wrong with that," his dad shook his head hastily. "I was just slightly... taken back, that was all." He paused, looking at Shikamaru's uninterested face, as if he hadn't heard a word his father had said. "She's coming for dinner tonight, right?"

Shikamaru's slight nod was the only indication that the answer was positive.

It was so troublesome, he thought. So troublesome to answer to his parent's expectations. He only hoped Temari would leave a good impression with his parents.

---

When Temari came over that night, she was exhausted from the long trip, and the attack of questions from both of Shikamaru's parents made her even more tired. But they were satisfied with her answers, and Shikamaru's dad seemed to be pleased with her looks as well.

After dinner, Temari offered to help with the washing up. Shikamaru's mum politely declined, feeling that it was not ethical to let a guest do such work. Temari did not persist. She wasn't particularly willing to help, anyway. She wasn't that type of person, but she knew that she at least had to be slightly more polite than usual for Shikamaru's family.

"Shikamaru, where am I going to sleep?" she asked, with half-closed eyes.

_How troublesome. _"Come on, I'll show you the guest bedroom." The blonde followed his boyfriend along the corridor to the second door on the right. "Here, the bathroom's just opposite. Anything else you want?"

"No, thanks." Temari made an effort to smile.

"'Kay then, go on and have a good night's sleep. You must be so tired. I'll see ya in the morning." Shikamaru turned, raising his hand in a goodbye greeting, and prepared to walk away.

"Wait, Shika'," Temari said, and her boyfriend looked back at her.

"Hn?"

"Goodnight kiss," Temari mumbled, pressing her lips onto Shikamaru's. The kiss was a chaste one and broken quickly.

"There. 'Night," the boy said softly, unaware that he was smiling. His girlfriend grinned sluggishly and disappeared into the darkness of the room.

Shikamaru walked down the corridor, collecting his thoughts. Love might be a troublesome thing, but --

it was certainly worth the trouble.

**The End**

**A/N: **Hmm, my first Naruto het fic. :D It turned out not as good as I had wanted it to be, but I'm not displeased with it either. Oh well.


End file.
